DO try this at home: Cameron admits he likes making a mess and Clegg says he ducks difficult questions - but only with their children

Family man: Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam Gonzalez pictured with their third sone shortly after his birth in February 2009

The key to good parenting is dodging your children’s trickier questions, according to Nick Clegg.

Asked for his top fatherhood tip, the Lib Dem leader said he sometimes refused to answer the incessant ‘why’s of his sons Antonio, Alberto and Miguel.

‘As a dad, you have to do almost the opposite of what I have to do in my day job,’ he said.

‘As a politician, I have to answer lots of questions. As a dad, I think it’s sensible not to always get dragged into answering the question “why”, because you’ll never end, so don’t be embarrassed not to answer the question “why”.’

David Cameron, meanwhile, admitted he did not get enough time to spend with his children but believed cooking with them – and making a lot of mess – had helped his family to forge a close bond.

The party leaders were interviewed for a parenting week on BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show.

The Prime Minister – who has three children, Florence, who was born last August, Nancy and Arthur – said: ‘The more you give, the more you get back. The more time you spend with your children, the more they respond to you.

Devoted dad: David and Samantha Cameron with the latest edition to their family, baby Florence

‘Time is something I don’t always have, sadly, but my one tip – one thing that I do that I find I get a huge benefit from, and lots of fun – is cooking with the children.

‘Particularly simple things like making pancakes. It’s just a fantastic thing to do – you make a lot of mess, you have a lot of fun, and there’s a point to it as well.’

Mr Cameron said setting boundaries was daunting. ‘My children are still very young; seven, five and zero, but already you’re coming up against that “what do you allow, and when”.

‘Whether it is fizzy drinks, sweets, spending time with friends ... it’s only going to get more difficult as they get older.

‘Knowing what you should allow when, and trying to set the right boundaries, I find really difficult.’

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DO try this at home: Cameron admits he likes making a mess and Clegg says he ducks difficult questions - but only with their children